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Town Centre Living Fund
Jamie Little Strategic Housing Investment Dumfries and Galloway Council
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Dumfries and Galloway
Around 50% of Population 100 miles population live around wide, 50 miles in nine largest 150,000 tall settlements
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Population centres
Dumfries Stranraer Annan 40,000 10,000 9,000
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Origins of Town Centre Living Fund
• Cost of development in town centres • Empty properties above shops • Declining demand for retail • Political will
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Council Tax on second homes income
• Ring fenced for housing purposes • Previously allocated to individual projects • Also used to provide grant funding for Empty Homes and Below Tolerable Standard properties
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Queen Street, Dumfries
• Housing Renewal Area • Gold standard for energy efficiency • Three 4-bedroom townhouses
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Town Centre Living Fund
• £1 million annual allocation
• Town Centre Sites
• Empty Properties
• Below Tolerable Standard Homes
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CLIMATE ECONOMIC IMPROVE BUILT EMERGENCY SUSTAINABILITY ENVIRONMENT Wider benefits DECLARATION of approach
20 MINUTE IMPROVE AREAS NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DEPRIVATION
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Local Development Plan
• Regional Centre – Dumfries
• Larger Town Centres – Stranraer, Annan, Castle Douglas, Newton Stewart
• Town Centres – Dalbeattie, Gretna, Kirkconnel/Kelloholm, Kirkcudbright, Langholm, Lochmaben, Lockerbie, Moffat, Sanquhar, Thornhill, Whithorn, Wigtown.
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A New Future for Scotland’s Town Centres recommendations
• Town Centre Living Expansion – housing sector incentivisation in town centres • The housing sector could be incentivised to prioritise town centre living • Local authorities could be given enhanced ability to use more flexible funding to enable town centre living schemes • Incentivise individuals to do up long-term empty housing in or adjacent to town centres. • Recognises The Midsteeple Quarter project in Dumfries – ‘an excellent example of community innovation’.
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Early project
• Bakers Oven
• Vacant building owned by Council
• Community Asset Transfer
• Establish appropriate entity
• Carry out engagement work
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• Masterplan agreed by Council
• Vision to provide homes and commercial spaces
Midsteeple • Live/work aspiration
Quarter • Community Empowerment
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Masterplan
• Adopted as Local Development Plan Guidance • Local community taking the lead with partnership support • Re-populating the town centre • Dynamic and engaging activity
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• Carrs Billington, Annan
Strategic • Former Agricultural and Country Store Housing • Existing Building in Conservation Area Investment Plan • Community priority
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• Site frontage on to Annan High Street Strategic • 27 affordable homes including 5 wheelchair Housing accessible
Investment • Investment in excess of £4million Plan cont.
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• Grapes Hotel, Whithorn Community • Long term derelict property led housing • Prominent location
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• 2 phases of construction planned Community • Refurbishment of existing building led housing • New build development to rear cont.
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Over to you
Q and A
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